Surface condenser



Patented Mar. 30, 1920.

SLIUEL xomus OI PHILADELPHIA, PENKSYLVL'IIA.

SURFACE OO NDEIBEB.

umen 01m rum. Batented Mar. 1920.

Application am April at, uni. term to. scene.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL Mourns Linux, a citizen of the United States, nesiding at 4804 Springfield avenue, in the city of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented. new and usefiul Improvements'in Surface Condensers-such, for exam 1e, as are employed for condensing the ex auststeam from steam turbines and engines, or. more specifically, improvements in that construction of surface condenser in which tubes extend through a tube-plate from a water-chamber on one side of the tube-plate. into which chamber the tubes open, into and out of a steam-condensing chamber, usually through another tube plate into a third chamber. into which the tubes also open.

Following the usual construction and operation, therhambers are closed-tn the atmosphere. the steam to be condensed is led into the second of the mentioned chambers and into contact with the exterior surface of the tubes, and a cooling water or liquid is sent through the tubes from a chamber into which the tubes 0 en at one end into the chamber into whici the other ends of the tubes open. The cooling water or liquid enters one of these chambers. enrl'leaves the other of the two after being! heated by the condensing steam. The condensate formed from the condensing steam is taken away from its chamber through a discharge below the tubes.

Under the usual prurtice the pressure in the water chambers of the condenser is I renter than that in the romlensing cham- 91". and a trouble that is frequently expo-- rienred is the leakage of cooling water or liquid. through the tube plates along: the external surfaces of the tubes into the con- (lensing chamber with the result of contaminating the condensate from lho steam with cooling water or liquid.

The object-of my invention is to prevent or to greatly lessen this leakage or see urge of the cooling liquid into the distillate mm the steam. and ulso to prevent the passing into thed'istillute oi any 3i! which may look into the interior of the condenser through or around the tube plates. My invention consists in placing a secondary lulw plate or diaphragm near a tube plate on the steam or condensing Side of the tube plate. through which diaphragm the tubes also extend and between which and the tube plate a. thin My invention is illustrated in the accom:

panying sheet of drawings by an ordinary single pass surfuxe condenser, in the several res of which drawi like parts are desi g'i ated by like characiila r Fi re 1 is a longitudinal axial section of n cy indrical condenser embodying mv invention with connected stir and distillate pumps.

Fig. 2 is an end view of Fig. 1 looking at the left end of Fig. 1. It is :1 section of Fig. 1 parallel to the tube plate along the line 2. It shows one of the tube plates and the ends and spacing of the" tubes opening through it.

Fig. 3 is a larger View than Fig. 1 of the condenser: portions of it. with respect to both longitudinal and cross dimensions are broken out.

Fig. 4 is a detail view-showing a part of a tube plate and of its adjacent secondary tube plate with a tube extending throu' lmtlnnnd a method of packing a tube in the tube plate. The type of condenser" illustrated in the drawings is almost universally em loyed for steam engines and turbines, thong usuuliy with two or more passes for the cooling Water to flow through the cooling tubes. It is abundantly illustrated and described in the publicity matter of many manufacturers. and is fully kubwn to those skilled in the art. In VlPW of this, particular description of construction will be avoided in the following specification.

Referring to th drawings A is the con densing chamber-o; this well known type of condenser. F is the vapor or steam main leadinginto the condensing chamber. \Vuter chambers B and C with tnlbe plates l---2 close the ends of the condensing chemlKI' A. A battery of cooling tubes T extends through the ffilldfiflf-ing chamber and tube plates l----E 2 and open into the water chambers B and The tubes in this condenser are. with tlu exceptions noted below, supposed to be packed in each tube plate by means of fiber 1, and screw ferrule f in the usual manner which is illustmted in Fig. 4 for a single tube. r.- is an opening into tabs illuetrated in t 1e ing fits or with as lower part of chamber C, to which a 0001i" water supply line may be connected and iaan opening above the tube line into the chamber 13 to which a cooling water discharge ipe my be connected. A centrifugal condensate pump, G is connected by the ipe g, to the botfim ofthe condenser at its owest lpoint, and an air pump, lf1 assumed to be of t e hydraulic type, connedts to the bottom of the condensing chamber A, by the pipe h. In the condemning chamber A, a short distance from no tu'he short distance from t tribe. plate' 2',- in the secondary tube )lntc the; lates 8 and 4 as drawin .extend respectively into 'recesss 5 and (i formed in the shell of the chamber with a distance ring 7 and 8 between thcm and the tube plates} and 2, respectively. Practically vapor and water tight joints are formed between the platee 8 and 4, and the condenser-she" pan ticulerly at the bottom. The tubes pass through the secondary tube lfltes with slidlittlc pay as may be. Each secondary tube-plate 3 or 4 may be heldfirlnly at the designed distance from its tube-plate 1 or '2, b expanding some of the. tubes in said tube-plates, as at 1' and 3',v In

3 the opposite tube-plate and seconda tubeplatet ese tubes'are not ex ended,

packed, as at 2', in the sai o positp tubeilnteas illustrated for. examp e in Fig. 4.

hese, articular cool ing tubes are distributed over t e cross section of the condenser, some of them are expanded in'the tube-plate and secondary plate at one end of the condenser whilethe remainder of them are expanded in the tubelate and secondary plate at the other end 0 the condenser: The number and distribution of these binding tubes would be left to the judgment-of the designer and would vary with conditions. Each of those binding tubes is free to expand and contract through its aching in one of the tube plates. Binding tn 5 are illustrated by tubes 9-- 10 -l1- -12.cach of which is expanded in one tube plate and in its adjoining secondary tube plate, while it,has a sliding' fit in the other pair of tube plates, andis packed .in the main tube plate 1 or 2, as the case may be. The cooling tubes may thus easily be made means .for binding together a tube plate and its secondary tube plate, but other means may be used, for example by distance pieces, fastened to both plates, as i'llus trnted by the examples at n and n Fig. each of which represents a pin fastened firmly to the tube-plate 3, and alaoto the plate 4 in uny elli iont manner. At the bottom of the spare a between plates 1 and 3, a drain passage 13 leads to the outside 'of the condenser and then through tho pi e econ nects to in exhausting drain. in t a draw- 65 it is to the suction line of the air pump late 1, is a. 'aecondary tube phute 3, inthe c amber A. a

lit are I leakage of water menace H. The space a betwecnthe two plates, 2

and l is provided with a similar drain pnesage H, and pipe (1' leading to the suction of the exhausting Jlllllll p'um for the con enser in this case. In the air me I: between the chamber A, and the point where the drain lines 13 and 14 'oin with the suction line to the air pump is laced a device I for maintaining a slight iack 'ressuro. toward the chamber A, and there re a slightly greater pressure in, A, than in the 5 aces between each tube plate and its sccon ari tube plate. Tl'lildefl'lce is represented in t e drawing by a swin 'ng plate i suspended in a chamber otonne d in the air line, h. in and across the path of the air through the line, so that its resistance to the flow of the air will cause a slight back pressure in the line toward the chamber A.

The mode of operation for the condenser and adjuncts above described is as follows:

The steam or vapor to be condensed .is led into the interior of the chamber A through the inlet F, cooling water is delivered continually through inlet 0 into the water chamber. C, from which it flows -through the battery T of cooling tubes into the chamber 15, and away from the chamber 13 through the discharge outlet, b, and the air pump H, which has been started, maintains a greater or less vacuum in the condensing chamber A. and a rerv sli htly greater vacuum in the spaces a, s. T e vapors condense on the cooling tubes, the condensate falls tothe bottom of the chambcr-, and is taken awa from itby the condensate pump v G througi the connecting pipe g. Any from either water chamber B or throughythe packings around the cooling tubes, .or through any other source for leakage, passes into the space a, or s falls'to the bottombf the space, and escapes through the drain 1'3 or 14 to the exhausting: device, which in the drawings is the hydrau lic air pump H of the condenser. If the condenser isat suflicient altitude. a barometric tube e might extend to a sealing tun k below, and the leakage water be taken away through this tube. The very slightly greater vacuum in the spacess, er' than in the chamber. A makes it diflicult for water iich, after leaking by tube packings in a tube plate, may creep along a tubeito the secondary tube plate 3.0! 4. to pass by the secondary tube plate into the chamber A, and therefore into the condensate, and it likewise prevents any air passing into the condensate which may get into the spaces x. x. through or around the main tube plates or otherwise. Sometimes in condensersof the (lllfih illustrated, the cooling tubes are all expanded into the tube plate at one end of thc condensingchamber A, as plate 2,-for rxnmple. and in the other plate are secured by purkings, of some descrintion. In a con- H, which is the air.

di-nser thus constructed the secondurr tube plate may be dispensed with at the end of the chamber A toward the plate in which the tubes are expanded.

I claim as of my invention:

1. Tn a tubular surface condenser of the general construction herein described, a sec ondary tube plate located near a tube plate on the condensing chamber side of the tube plate, and containing holes for. the tubes corresponding to the holes in the tube plate through which corresponding lllllvs the tubes extend and means for removing from the space between the tube plate and secondury tube plate any liquid or air which may collect in the said space.

.2. Ina tubular surface condenser of the general'eonstruction herein described, a secondary tube plate located near a tube plate on the condensing chamber side of the tube plate. and containing holes for the tubes corresponding to the holes in the tube plate through which corresponding holes the tubes extend, and means for removing from the spuce bet-ween the tube plate and secondary tube plate any liquid or air which may col lcct in the said space, and means for maintaining in the said inclosed space a. pressure less than in the condensing chamber of the condenser.

3. In a tubular surface condenser of the general construction herein described. a sheondary tube plute located near u tube plate on the side of the tube plate toward the condensin chamber containing tube holes correspon ing to the tube holes in the tube plate through which corresponding holes the cooling tubes extend. and forming with the tube plute'u s ace for collecting leakage through the tu 1c lute. connecting means between the tube p utcs and secondary tube plate fastened to each. and tending to hold them rigidly in their cue-h other.

l. In a tubular surface condenser of the gcncrul construction herein described, a secondury tube plate located near a tube plate on the side of the tube plntc' toward the. condensing chamber containing tube holes corresponding to the tube holes in the tube plutc through which corresponding holes the cooling tubes extend. and forming with the lube plate u spucc for collecting leakage through the tube plutc. means tending to hold the tube plate and its secondary tube plutc rigidly in their relative positions eonv-lflllllg' in a number of coolnigtubcs expanded in the tube plate and in its secondurv tube plate.

5. Tu a tubular surface conden.-;er of the general construction herein described, a secpositions relative to oudury tube plate located near u tube"pl'u r on the side of the tube plute'toward the condensin chamber containing tube holes corn-spnnciitg to' the tube holes in the tube plate through which corresponding holes the cooling tubes extend, and forming with the tube plate a space for wllecting leakage through the tube plute, means ,tending to hold the tube plate and its secondary tube plutc'ri ridly in their relative positions con sisting in a number of cooling tubes ex punded'in the tube plate and in its second ury plate, and in the tube plhte at the opposite end of the condensing chamber packed in any way to permit sliding of the tubes in the tube plate.

6. In a tubular surface condenser of the general construction herein described, a tube plate covering an end of the condensing chamber, :1 recess formed inside the end 'of the shell of the condensing chamber toward the tube plate and extending back from the tube plate :1 short distance. u see ondury tube plate such as described extendingiintothe recess and u distance piece located in the recess between the tube plate and the secondary tube plate and operating to press the secondary tube plate toward the shoulder of the recess when the tube plate i fastened in its place.

T. In :1 tubular surface condenser of the general construction herein specified and having a secondary tube plate'adjaeent to u tube plate of the condenser with a leakage collecting space between the two plates. {Ulflll pump connected by air pipe line to the condensing chamber. which ope'rutes to re more the incondensablc gases from the chum bcr. and a pipe connection between the suction port of the air pum and the space between the tube plate and secondary tube plate.

s. In a tubular surface condenser of the gcnerul construction herein specified illtl huvihg n secondary tube plate adjacent to u tube plate of the condenser with a leakage collecting space bet-\i'een the two plates. an nil pump connected by air pipe line to the condensing chamber, which operates toremow the. incondensuble gases from the chamber. a pipe connection between the suction port of the air pump and the space between the tube late and secondnnv tube plate. and n vielrling obstruction located in the air pipe ine'betwecu condensing chumbcr and air pump and l erutmg to increase slightly the difference in pressure between condensing chamber and suction port of air pump. 

